SEAG-bound Filipino athletes ‘near peak form’

Philippine Olympic Committee chair Tom Carrasco is convinced that the high-performance training program of the local Olympic body will translate into gold medals for the country in the 28th Southeast Asian Games in June.

Carrasco said 164 athletes from 16 sports have been enrolled in the POC-Athletic Performance Enhancement Training (Apex), a program put up by coach Jimbo Saret to improve their overall performance through the application of sports science, nutrition and medicine.

“The immediate goal is to get these athletes in peak form for the SEA Games,” said Carrasco.

“We’ve been doing this for two months and the results are very encouraging.”

Religiously participating in the daily workouts are 20 bowlers, the men’s and women’s softball teams (17 players) and athletes from squash (4), waterski (4), sepak takraw (8), rugby (9), rowing (8), petanque (3), pencak silat (6), muay (15), cycling (6), fencing (18), traditional boat race (17) and athletics (6).

Carrasco, also the president of the national triathlon association, said the athlete’s performance is tested, analyzed and measured scientifically using sports science laboratory equipment, protocols and video cameras at the end of every training phase that runs for six weeks.

The Philippine Sports Commission has also put up a cafeteria to monitor the diet of the athletes.

A total of 460 athletes will compete in 35 sports in the SEA Games on June 5 to 16 in Singapore.